GERMAN FOOTBALL

BUNDESLIGA

German Football

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Bundesliga of German Football is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely mentioned with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (Second Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. The Bundesligen (pl.) are professional leagues, while the leagues below these top two tiers are of amateur level. A measure of professionalism has begun to creep into the third tier (the Regionalligen) from above as teams sign and then farm out prospects to have them gain playing experience.

Below the level of the 2. Bundesliga, leagues are most often subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North) and Süd (South) divisions, and the Oberligen (upper leagues) are composed of nine divisions representing states, or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas. League structure has shifted frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national leagues of East and West Germany.

For the 2008–09 season, a third professional level, the 3. Liga, will be added. However, the 3. Liga will be run directly by the German Football Association (DFB) — unlike the Bundesligen, which are run by an affiliated organisation, the German Football League (DFL; German Deutsche Fußball Liga). At the same time, the Regionalligen will split into three divisions.

Every team in the Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations.

As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division:

• A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues goes to Bundesliga sides.

• Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support. Average attendance in the upper class league is 40,000 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Bundesliga.

• Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships.

• Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and marketing of their team brands. This allows them to attract and hold skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities.

The Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2. Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organisationally and fiscally, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional level play.

Internationally, the most well-known German Football clubs include Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV, Borussia Dortmund, FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen. Hamburger SV can lay claim to being the only club that has played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation.

Presently, at the end of the season, the bottom three teams of the Bundesliga are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, and the top three finishers of the 2. Bundesliga are promoted to the top flight, where they will compete in the next season.

The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). In recent years, games have been played on Saturdays (seven games beginning at 3:30 PM) and Sundays (two games beginning at 5:00 PM). A new television deal in 2006 re-introduced a Friday game (beginning at 8:30 PM) in place of one of the Saturday matches.

History

Origins

Prior to the formation of the Bundesliga, German football was played at an amateur level in a large number of regional leagues. Regional champions played a series of playoff matches for the right to compete in a final game for the national championship. On January 28, 1900, a national association, the Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB) was founded in Leipzig with 86 member clubs. The first recognised national German Football championship team was VfB Leipzig, who beat DFC Prague 7-2 in a game played in Hamburg on May 31, 1903.

Through the 1950s, there were continued calls for the formation of a central professional league, especially as professional leagues in other countries began to draw Germany's best players away from the amateur domestic leagues. At the international level the German Football game began to falter as German teams often fared poorly against professional teams from other countries. A key supporter of the central league concept was national team head coach Sepp Herberger who said, “If we want to remain competitive internationally, we have to raise our expectations at the national level.”

Meanwhile, in East Germany, a separate league was established with the formation of the DS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga) in 1950. The league was re-named the Football Oberliga DFV in 1958 and was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga. The league fielded 14 teams with two relegation spots.

The defeat of the German Football  national team by Yugoslavia (0–1) in a 1962 World Cup quarter final game in Chile was the impetus to the formation of a national league. Under DFB president Hermann Neuberger the Bundesliga was created in Dortmund on July 28, 1962 to begin play starting with the 1963–64 season. The new German professional league was modelled on the long-established English league, which had been set up in 1888.

At the time, there were five Oberligen, or upper leagues, in place representing West Germany's North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin. East Germany, under Soviet occupation, maintained its separate league structure. Forty-six clubs applied for admission to the new league. Sixteen teams were selected based on their success on the field, economic criteria and representation of the various Oberligen.

• From Oberliga Nord: Eintracht Braunschweig, Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV

• From Oberliga West: Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Köln, Meidericher SV (now MSV Duisburg), Preußen Münster, FC Schalke 04

• From Oberliga Südwest: 1. FC Kaiserslautern, 1. FC Saarbrücken

• From Oberliga Süd: Eintracht Frankfurt, Karlsruher SC, 1. FC Nuremberg, TSV 1860 München, VfB Stuttgart

• From Oberliga Berlin: Hertha BSC Berlin

The first Bundesliga games were played on August 24, 1963. Early favorite 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion (with 45:19 points) over second place clubs Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt (both 39:25).

Structure and competition

The German football champion is decided strictly by play in the Bundesliga. Each club plays every other club once at home and once away. Originally, a victory was worth 2 points, with a draw worth 1 point and a loss no points. Since the 1995/96 season, a victory has been worth 3 points, with no change in the value of a draw or loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes the German Football champion. Currently, the top two clubs in the table qualify automatically for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League, while the third-place team enters the Champions League at the third qualifying round (see overview). The three teams at the bottom of the table are relegated into the 2nd Bundesliga, while the top three teams in the 2nd Bundesliga are promoted (see overview).

If teams are level on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

1. Goal difference for the entire season.

2. Total goals scored for the entire season.

3. Head-to-head results (total points).

4. Head-to-head goal difference.

If two clubs are still tied after all of these tiebreakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Bundesliga.

In terms of team selection, matchday squads must have no more than five non-EU representatives. Seven substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which three can be used in the duration of the game.

Changes in league structure

• Number of teams:

  • 1963/64–1964/65: 16

  • 1965/66–1990/91: 18

  • 1991/92: 20, while East and West German leagues were being combined after German Football reunification

  • Since 1992/93: 18

• Number of teams relegated (automatic relegation except as noted):

  • 1963/64–1973/74: 2

  • 1974/75–1980/81: 3

  • 1981/82–1990/91: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga played a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga

  • 1991/92: 4

  • 1992/93-2007/08: 3

  • From 2008/09 on: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga playing a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga

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European qualification (as of 2006–07)

• 1st and 2nd place: Group phase of UEFA Champions League

• 3rd place: Third qualifying round of Champions League. Winners at this stage enter the group phase; losers enter the UEFA Cup.

• DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner: Qualifies for UEFA Cup, regardless of league position.

  • If the Cup winner has qualified for the Champions League, the losing finalist will enter the UEFA Cup. For example, although the Second Bundesliga side Alemannia Aachen lost to Werder Bremen in the 2004 DFB-Pokal final, Alemannia secured an entry in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, because Werder qualified for the Champions League as First Bundesliga champions.

  • If both Cup finalists have qualified for the Champions League, an extra UEFA Cup place is granted on the basis of First Bundesliga position. Since the 2005 DFB-Pokal final pitted champions Bayern Munich against runners-up Schalke 04 (with Bayern winning), sixth-place Bayer Leverkusen received a berth in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup.

• 4th–5th place: Qualify for UEFA Cup.

• 6th place: Qualifies for UEFA Intertoto Cup.

• 16th–18th place: Relegated to 2nd Bundesliga.

The number of German Football clubs which may participate in UEFA competitions is determined by UEFA coefficients, which take into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in UEFA competitions over the preceding five years.

History of European qualification

• European Cup/Champions League: Up to and including 1996/97: German Football champion only1997–99: Top two teams1999–present: Top two teams automatically into first group phase (only one group phase starting in 2003/04). Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficientsUEFA Cup: Starting with the 1999/2000 season, the DFB-Pokal winner automatically qualifies. Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, anywhere from 0 to 3 extra participants can enter. Since the Cup Winners' Cup was folded into the UEFA Cup after 1999, the DFB has always been entitled to enter a minimum of three clubs in the UEFA Cup, and has been able to enter as many as four (the maximum for any European federation). Teams that enter via the Intertoto Cup or UEFA's Fair Play mechanism do not count against the national quota. After the revamping of the Intertoto Cup effective with the 2006 competition, only one First Bundesligaof German Football side is now eligible to enter the Intertoto Cup and possibly earn a UEFA Cup berth. For the 2005/06 season, the DFB earned an extra UEFA Cup place via the Fair Play draw; this place went to Mainz 05 as the highest-ranked club in the Fair Play table of the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe.Cup Winners' Cup (abolished after 1999):

  • standing, either one or two other clubs (currently one) enter at the third qualifying round; winners at this level enter the group phase.

• • DFB-Pokal winner entered the Cup Winners' Cup. Today, that club enters the UEFA Cup.

Current members of the Bundesliga (2008/2009 season)

•    DSC Arminia Bielefeld

•    Bayer 04 Leverkusen

•    FC Bayern Munich

•    VfL Bochum

•    Borussia Dortmund

•    Borussia Mönchengladbach

•    Eintracht Frankfurt

•    FC Energie Cottbus

•    Hamburger SV

•    Hannover 96

•    Hertha BSC Berlin

•    TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

•    Karlsruher SC

•    1. FC Köln

•    FC Schalke 04

•    VfB Stuttgart

•    SV Werder Bremen

•    VfL Wolfsburg

In the above list, Borussia Mönchengladbach, 1. FC Köln and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have just moved into the First Bundesliga, replacing 1. FC Nuremberg, FC Hansa Rostock and MSV Duisburg, who finished at the bottom three spots of the table at the end of the 2007/08 season and thus were relegated to the Second Bundesliga.

Verdiente Meistervereine

In 2004, the honor of “Verdiente Meistervereine” (roughly “distinguished champion clubs”) was introduced, following a custom first practised by the Italian club Juventus, to recognize sides that have won multiple championships or other honours by the display of gold stars on their team crests and jerseys. Each country's usage is unique and in Germany the practice is to award one star for three titles, two stars for five titles, three stars for ten titles, and four stars for twenty titles.

The former East German side BFC Dynamo Berlin laid claim to the three stars of a ten-time champion. They petitioned the league to have their DDR-Oberliga titles recognized, but received no reply. Dynamo eventually took matters into their own hands and emblazoned their jerseys with three stars. This caused some debate given what may be the tainted nature of their championships under the patronage of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi. The issue also affects other former East German and pre-Bundesliga champions. In November 2005, the DFB allowed all former champions to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles, including all German men's titles since 1903, women's titles since 1974 and East German titles.^[1]

The DFB format only applies to teams playing below the Bundesliga (the top two divisions), since there the DFL conventions remain in force. BFC Dynamo Berlin have not followed this guideline and continue to wear three stars, rather than a single star inscribed with the number 10. Greuther Fürth unofficially display three (silver) stars for pre-war titles in spite of being in the Bundesliga second division.

As of May 2008 the following clubs are allowed to wear stars while playing in the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for Bundesliga titles won.

• Bayern Munich (20) (four stars beginning 2008-09)

• Borussia Mönchengladbach (5)

•  SV Werder Bremen (4)

•  Borussia Dortmund (3)

•  Hamburger SV (3)

•  VfB Stuttgart (3)

As of May 2008 the following clubs are allowed to wear one star while playing outside the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for total league championships won over the course of German football history, and would be included within the star.

•  FC Bayern Munich (21)

•  Berliner FC Dynamo (10)

•  1. FC Nuremberg (9)

•  Dynamo Dresden (8)

•  FC Schalke 04 (7)

•  Borussia Dortmund (6)

•  Hamburger SV (6)

•  FC Viktoria Frankfurt (6)

•  Borussia Mönchengladbach (5)

•  VfB Stuttgart (5)

•  SV Werder Bremen (4)

•  1. FC Kaiserslautern (4)

•  1. FC Magdeburg (3)

•  FC Erzgebirge Aue (3)

•  Lokomotive Leipzig (3)

•  FC Carl Zeiss Jena (3)

•  1. FC Köln (3)

•  SpVgg Greuther Fürth (3)

Media coverage

Premiere holds the rights to broadcast both first and second division matches on a pay-per-view basis. Only two matches, the season opener and the opener after the winter-break, are broadcast on free television, on ARD.

GOL TV has exclusive U.S. and Canadian rights to broadcast the Bundesliga. In Australia, the Bundesliga is currently available on Setanta Sports.

Champions

In total, 43 clubs have won the German championship. FC Bayern Munich have 21 titles, more than any other club. The clubs with the next most titles are BFC Dynamo Berlin ( all accomplished in the GDR Oberliga) and 1. FC Nuremberg .
The clubs with the most Bundesliga titles besides (20 titles) are Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen 

FC Bayern Munich are the current title-holders.

German Football Records

Charly Körbel

Gerd Müller

German Football Other records

• Most own goals scored: 6 by Manfred Kaltz of Hamburger SV.
• The oldest player was Klaus Fichtel of Werder Bremen (43 years old).
• The youngest player to score was Nuri Şahin of Borussia Dortmund (16 years and 335 days).
• Most red cards received: Jens Nowotny (8), Stefan Effenberg, Sergej Barbarez and Torsten Kracht (7 each).
• Most goals scored by penalties: Manfred Kaltz (53 with 7 missed penalties).
• Most goals conceded by a goalkeeper: 829 by Eike Immel (in 534 games).
• Most clean sheets by a goalkeeper: 196 by Oliver Kahn (in 557 games).
• Most championships won as player: 8 by Mehmet Scholl and Oliver Kahn
• Most championships won as coach: 8 by Udo Lattek.
• The longest period of time as coach, is Volker Finke by over 16 years.
• Worst team: Tasmania 1900 Berlin (1965–66) holders of an extraordinary list of “worst-of” records
• Fastest Goal: Ulf Kirsten (Bayer Leverkusen) after 11 seconds (against Kaiserslautern in 2002.)